Neglect is visible on Northwest 68th Avenue, where the city is finishing a $500,000 upgrade that remade the road with new underground pipes, landscaping and paving.

Residents complain they have put up with construction headaches on the road for more than a year with no end in sight. And, they say, the city is wasting taxpayer money by not caring for the costly trees and plants recently put in the median.

"This is not what we were promised," said Addie Guilmette, who lives off Northwest 68th Avenue, which runs between Oakland Park Boulevard and Sunset Strip.

City officials blame the problems on the contractor, who they say has not properly finished the job.

Planning and Development Director Tom Kassawara said the city is withholding "many tens of thousands of dollars" from the company until it fixes broken curbs in cul-de-sacs, among many things.

As the city wrangles with the company, Weekley Asphalt Paving Co., Northwest 68th Avenue suffers. Until the dispute is resolved, the Public Works Department will not take over maintenance of the road by weeding, cutting grass and watering.

If the road's demise sounds familiar, it should.

The city is going through a similar fight with Broward County over Pine Island Road, between Sunrise and Oakland Park boulevards. Several palm trees and plants have died while the city and county argue over maintaining the new landscaping.

The Northwest 68th Avenue project is part of the $50 million citywide building program known as the Community Enrichment Plan. Its aim is to improve the quality of life for the city's 72,000 residents by constructing new buildings, upgrading streets, adding and expanding parks, building new fire stations and beautifying medians.

Some projects in the ambitious plan have run into trouble with cost overruns or delays.

The renovation of Whiting Hall off Northwest 68th Avenue has been stalled for two months while the city decides how to proceed after termites were discovered in the rundown meeting hall. The civic center under construction next to City Hall has been stopped since last September while the city and builder sue each other in court.

The senior center, also under construction next to City Hall, was supposed to open this spring but is now scheduled to open in the fall. Design and construction of four fire stations is also late.

Other projects have proceeded smoothly. Those include new and expanded parks, Sunset Strip streetscape, water line replacement and landscaped medians.

Several east side residents said they like the improvements in the city's oldest section, but worry that they won't be maintained.